Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
As a conservative living in San Francisco, I often struggle with a sense of alienation because while I know and understand the liberal mindset of my neighbors, acquaintances and friends, I don't perceive them to understand how I think or to care why I hold the beliefs I do. I often encounter gross stereotypes of conservatives — we're xenophobic, homophobic, misogynistic, judgmental racist bigots who want the rich to get richer and the sick and poor to go ahead and die already to reduce the surplus population. And that's not even taking our foreign policy positions into consideration! That one could actually believe all those ugly things about a fellow American who votes for someone like John McCain instead of Barack Obama is mind boggling.
It turns out my perception of how liberals view conservatives isn't too far off the mark. In his NYT op-ed today, Nicholas Kristof writes that conservatives seem to understand liberals far better than liberals understand conservatives.
One academic study asked 2,000 Americans to fill out questionnaires about moral questions. In some cases, they were asked to fill them out as they thought a “typical liberal” or a “typical conservative” would respond.
Moderates and conservatives were adept at guessing how liberals would answer questions. Liberals, especially those who described themselves as “very liberal,” were least able to put themselves in the minds of their adversaries and guess how conservatives would answer.
The 2009 UVA study linked above explains its findings by positing that liberals form their basis of morality by considering three values: caring for the weak, fairness, and liberty. Conservatives, on the other hand, have a much more complex system of morality. In addition to caring about all of the things liberals do—while of course understanding fairness and liberty in very different ways—conservatives factor in loyalty, respect for authority, and sanctity into their conception of morality. It's these added dimensions that seem to baffle the Left. From the study:
Liberals see conservatives as being motivated by an opposition to liberals’ core values of compassion and fairness, as well as being motivated by their own (non-moral) values of ingroup loyalty, respect for authorities and traditions, and spiritual purity. For instance,
when conservatives express binding-foundation moral concerns about gay marriage—e.g., that it subverts traditional gender roles and family structures—liberals may have difficulty perceiving any moral value in such traditional arrangements and therefore conclude that conservatives are motivated by simple homophobia, untempered by concerns about fairness, equality, and rights.This misperception is asymmetrical: conservatives did underestimate liberal moral concerns with the binding foundations, but they were no more likely to underestimate than liberals themselves.
Fascinating findings. But what are we to do with this information?
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Comments:
Aug '10
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
Ah yes...the eternal Adorno inspired "respect for authority" factor. One can be plenty conservative and have very little respect for authority -- let alone have an Authoritarian Mind -- after all what is the intent of limited government other than a desire to limit authority?
The findings on who understands who is interesting, the moral construct less so.
Mar '12
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
Here's been my experience, having been both liberal and conservative:
Conservatives think rank and file liberals are wrong, naive, bad at economics, rather soft and clueless.
Liberals think rank and file conservatives are religious wingnuts, violent. They suspect their main hobbies involve white sheets and stonings. Oh, and there aren't any intelligent conservative women; they're all oppressed, if they exist at all.
Conservatives think liberals are wrong. Liberals think conservatives are evil.
As to what to do with it, I don't know. I can't even read the Facebook updates of my former classmates because the sheer vitriol for me and mine is staggering. I didn't want to lose my liberal friends, but I'm not sure I have a choice.
May '10
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
This is why I am increasingly pessimistic about our ability to remain one country. Not only does the ruling class of the Left fail to understand a vast swath of their fellow countrymen, but they dismiss their beliefs into mental illnesses (We don't have principles, we have phobias.)
If you read the comments under Kristoff's column, most liberals latched on to the phrase "respect for authority" and translated that into a love of authoritarianism. It is a classic projection, of course, since no one loves the imprint of government authority more than they do.
Diane asks, "But what are we to do with this information?" Nothing. Since it is already being perverted for political gain the information becomes worthless.
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
Nathaniel Wright: Ah yes...the eternal Adorno inspired "respect for authority" factor. One can be plenty conservative and have very little respect for authority -- let alone have an Authoritarian Mind -- after all what is the intent of limited government other than a desire to limit authority?
The findings on who understands who is interesting, the moral construct less so. · 6 minutes ago
My instinct was to see "respect for authority" listed and gag at the choice of words, but the description of this dimension used in the study (and in a new book by Jonathan Haidt, one of the study's authors) includes things like a reverence toward God and a respect for the military and traditional institutions such as the family and the church. One needn't be an authoritarian to respect and value authorities bigger than one's self.
Apr '11
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
Try explaining Marx or feminism to the wrong kind of conservative and you can swiftly find exceptions to this rule. Tolerance and intolerance are found in most parts of the political spectrum. I had a comment replying to a comment of mine suggesting that Immelt should not be treated well because Obama is evil, for instance.
Also, objectively, the baby killing scum are evil, while our attempts to encourage people to work by cutting off welfare are born out of love and respect. ;-)
Mar '12
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
What concerns me is the way the left delegitimizes the conservative worldview. We don't think food stamps are a bad use of public resources--we secretly hate black people and broadcast that to insiders by talking about SNAP. We don't think the traditional family is actually a good thing--we hate women and want them barefoot and pregnant. Etc.
Hence the left comes up with ideas like dog-whistle politics which, while probably true to a small degree, are not a vast right wing conspiracy to say one thing while meaning another.
Aug '10
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
I'll have to look at the study to see how their use of authority varies from Adorno's use in The Authoritarian Personality.
That aside, I think one of the main differences between conservatives and liberals is that conservatives grew up reading, watching, and listening to liberal ideas. Liberals wouldn't know where to look to read in depth discussion of conservative ideas.
I provide reading lists to some of the students I work with -- those that want to look into the origins of political philosophies -- and some of the students are shocked at the depth of writing on/by conservatives.
I've also found that it is more likely that conservatives have read Rawls, Rorty, and Croly than liberals. Peter Beinart and I, while he was writing his book "The Good Fight," had a discussion of the how little liberals know about their own philosophic traditions.
It is rare indeed the liberal who has read Witness, or Burke, or Kirk.
May '11
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
I currently live in Austin, TX. It's not as far to the left as SF, but there aren't many conservatives or conservative outlets. I know from where you speak. I have few friends/acquaintances who can speak of politics without getting emotional. That's the biggest problem to get passed. Once we get to a one-on-one, it's easier.
"Have you talked to a someone who is conservative, or do you get their mindset from what liberals say?" You'll either get a questioning look, change in subject, or ignored. If you know they're not as socialist as Bernie Sanders, they can understand you're not (insert name here).
Ask someone to describe what they believe, not what they think others believe. Then do the same. There's more common ground than most on the left think, we just have different ideas to get there. I like to ask questions, and review the consequences state run/mandated X has had on the larger market, society, etc. There's also a little ADD involved (I just found out), so I remember and recall everything. Makes it easy.
Mar '12
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
In conversations with liberal friends I've found the best way to use this information is to contrast their attitudes with yours. In other words, you have to go down to the level of first principles and point out that their assumptions are different than yours. It's like value debate from high school.
But, really, I think it's more difficult on a wider level because liberals substitute politics for religion. So where many conservatives have this hallowed space of moral ideas that are not necessarily political but from which political ideas derive, many liberals stick the politics right in that place in substitute for morality. So it's literally immoral to be a conservative, by their way of thinking.
--Joy
Edited on March 22, 2012 at 8:45pmRe: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
One thing I found heartening in the Kristof piece is learning that the co-author of the study, Jonathan Haidt, who has just published The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Religion and Politics (WSJ review here) was very liberal when he set out doing his research, but now describes himself as a centrist. That's at least one piece of anecdotal evidence that the more someone learns about what conservatives really believe and why they believe it, the more they're pulled in that direction themselves.
Apr '11
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
I would LOVE to see your list-!
May '10
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
What do we do with this information? Clearly, since we're suffering the penalty for being bigoted, we ought to start enjoying the benefits! ;-)
Edited on March 22, 2012 at 8:56pmMay '10
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
Yes, yes, yes.
Feb '11
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
"Are there no workhouses, are there no prisons!?!"
Feb '11
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
I first heard of this here, on bloggingheads several years back.
Sep '10
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
Diane Ellis: My instinct was to see "respect for authority" listed and gag at the choice of words, but the description of this dimension used in the study (and in a new book by Jonathan Haidt, one of the study's authors) includes things like a reverence toward God and a respect for the military and traditional institutions such as the family and the church. One needn't be an authoritarian to respect and value authorities bigger than one's self.
Perhaps it would have better to use "respect for tradition"; that certainly would apply to me much better than "respect for authority."
May '10
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
Personally I love it when I see a liberal with a "Question Authority" bumper sticker. They're usually the first to roll over for an authoritarian socialist government.
Edited on March 22, 2012 at 9:30pmMar '11
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
Having worked in entertainment since 1999, here is what I found to be the big difference between myself--a conservative, and your average, everyday liberals . . .
When I was bringing Atlas Shrugged to work to read in like 2002, they were bringing Harry Potter. When I was reading The Fountainhead in 2003, they were reading The DaVinci Code. When I was reading The True Believer by Eric Hoffer in 2004, they were reading Angels and Demons. When I was watching news in the breakroom--even if it was CNN, they were flipping channels to ESPN and Comedy Central. When I told them about studying business and economics at Grove City College, they'd tell me about not going to college but studying dance, art, music, etc.
Now, generally, none of what they were doing was necessarily bad or stupid. But here's the kicker . . .
If anything concerning politics, news, business, philosophy, history came up in a conversation, you'd swear all of them had had theirs noses deep into those categories of books for years! They exposed themselves as being people who already thought they knew everything even though they didn't take any overt interest in any of it.
Mar '11
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
But...prisons and workhouses were government projects. Liberals are in favor of government projects. Therefore, Ebenezer Scrooge was a liberal.
Those fellows dunning Ebenezer for donations? Every study I've ever heard of has found that conservatives donate more than to charities than liberals. Those guys must have been conservatives, one and all.
Apr '11
Re: Conservatives Understand Liberals. Liberals Don't Understand Conservatives.
Hey now, I've ready Harry Potter and the Da Vinci Code (the latter for a class at my church), so don't knock 'em! Of course I've also read other things like Atlas Shrugged or The Republic and all that.
Best summary I've ever read: "Conservatives believe they have better ideas; liberals believe they are better people."
Unfortunately, that's why few liberals take time to look at Conservatism. It's at best ignorant, at worst evil, at least in their view. So rather than discuss ideas, they dismiss motives.
I'm not sure how to break that barrier. I have family and friends who truly believe I'm a racist merely for objecting to Pres. Obama's policies. Some of the more open minded among them will at least admit they think I'm a decent guy who doesn't have the evil prejudices the rest of my coservative cohorts clearly have.
I haven't the power or time to correct them on a case-by-case basis, as it is.